GMAT Reading Comprehension - Despite their Many Differences of Temperament

Reading Passage Question:

Despite their many differences of temperament and of literary perspective, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman share certain beliefs. Common to all these writers is their (5) humanistic perspective. Its basic premises are that humans are the spiritual center of the universe and that in them alone is the clue to nature, history, and ultimately the cosmos itself. Without denying outright the existence either of a deity or of brute (10) matter, this perspective nevertheless rejects them as exclusive principles of interpretation and prefers to explain humans and the world in terms of humanity itself. This preference is expressed most clearly in the Transcendentalist principle (15) that the structure of the universe literally duplicates the structure of the individual self; therefore, all knowledge begins with self-knowledge. This common perspective is almost always universalized. Its emphasis is not upon the (20) individual as a particular European or American, but upon the human as universal, freed from the accidents of time, space, birth, and talent. Thus, for Emerson, the" American Scholar" turns out to be simply "Man Thinking"; while, for Whitman, (25) the "Song of Myself" merges imperceptibly into a song of all the "children of Adam", where "every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you." Also common to all five writers is the belief that individual virtue and happiness depend upon (30) self-realization, which, in turn, depends upon the harmonious reconciliation of two universal psycho-logical tendencies: first, the self-asserting impulse of the individual to withdraw, to remain unique and separate, and to be responsible only to (35) himself or herself, and second, the self-transcending impulse of the individual to embrace the whole world in the experience of a single moment and to know and become one with that world. These conflicting impulses can be seen in the (40) democratic ethic. Democracy advocates individu-alism, the preservation of the individual's freedom and self-expression. But the democratic self is torn between the duty to self, which is implied by the concept of liberty, and the duty to society, (45) which is implied by the concepts of equality and fraternity. A third assumption common to the five writers is that intuition and imagination offer a surer road to the truth than does abstract logic or scientific (50) method. It is illustrated by their emphasis upon introspection-their belief that the clue to external nature is to be found in the inner world of individual psychology-and by their interpretation of experi-ence as, in essence, symbolic. Both these stresses (55) presume an organic relationship between the self and the cosmos of which only intuition and imagi-nation can properly take account. These writers' faith in the imagination and in themselves as practitioners of imagination led them to conceive (60) of the writer as a seer and enabled them to achieve supreme confidence in their own moral and metaphysical insights.

‘Despite their many differences of temperament’ is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 7 comprehension questions.

The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analyzing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Questions and Solutions

1. The author's discussion of Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman is primarily concerned with explaining

(A) some of their beliefs about the difficulties involved in self-realization
(B) some of their beliefs concerning the world and the place that humanity occupies in the universal order
(C) some of their beliefs concerning the relationship between humanism and democracy
(D) the way some of their beliefs are shaped by differences in temperament and literary outlook
(E) the effects of some of their beliefs on their writings

2. According to the passage, the humanistic perspective of the five writers presupposes which of the following?

1. The structure of the universe can be discovered through self-knowledge.
2. The world can be explained in terms of humanity.
3. The spiritual and the material worlds are incompatible.

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III

3. The author quotes Whitman primarily in order to

(A) show that the poet does not agree with Emerson
(B) indicate the way the poet uses the humanist ideal to praise himself
(C) suggest that the poet adapts the basic premises of humanism to his own individual outlook on the world
(D) illustrate a way the poet expresses the relationship of the individual to the humanistic universe
(E) demonstrate that the poet is concerned with the well- being of all humans

4. According to the passage, the five writers object to the scientific method primarily because they think it

(A) is not the best way to obtain an understanding of the relationship between the individual and the cosmos
(B) is so specialized that it leads to an understanding of separate parts of the universe but not of the relationships among those parts
(C) cannot provide an adequate explanation of intuition and imagination
(D) misleads people into believing they have an understanding of truth, when they do not
(E) prevents people from recognizing the symbolic nature of experience

5. Which of the following statements would be com- patible with the beliefs of the five writers as described in the passage?

1. Democracy works as a form of government because every individual is unique.
2. Nature alone exists, and each person is nothing more than a shadow of that substance which is the world.
3. The human mind is capable of discovering the meaning of life and understanding the order in the universe.

(A) I only
(B) III only
(C) I and II only
(D) I and III only
(E) I, II, and III

6. It can be inferred that intuition is important to the five writers primarily because it provides them with

(A) information useful for understanding abstract logic and the scientific method
(B) the discipline needed in the search for truth
(C) inspiration for their best writing
(D) clues to the interpretation of symbolic experience
(E) the means of resolving conflicts between the self and the world

7. The author discusses "the democratic ethic" in the highlighted text in order to

(A) explain the relationship between external experience and inner imagination
(B) support the notion that the self-contains two conflicting and irreconcilable factions
(C) illustrate the relationship between the self's desire to be individual and its desire to merge with all other selves
(D) elaborate on the concept that the self constantly desires to realize its potential
(E) give an example of the idea that, in order to be happy, the self must reconcile its desires with external reality

8. It can be inferred that the idea of "an organic relationship between the self and the cosmos" in the highlighted text is necessary to the thinking of the five writers because such a relationship

(A) enables them to assert the importance of the democratic ethic
(B) justifies their-concept of the freedom of the individual
(C) sustains their faith in the existence of a deity
(D) is the foundation of their humanistic view of existence
(E) is the basis for their claim that the writer is a seer

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